Formalities
by rowansmuse
Summary: Sequel to Follow Your Heart Until it Sticks: An AU Sweet Bea story. Sweet Pea follows through with taking Betty to the winter formal at school, but he has other intentions for the night as well. Their relationship has grown but will they have fun and will she be ready for what he has planned?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I guess I just wasn't ready to let Sweet Pea and Betty go after the epilogue of my last story! This is one story in multiple parts but takes place all in one night so it feels odd to call each section "chapters." Enjoy!

A/N part 2: I just can't picture these character as so young... assume they are in their senior year.

Part One

There are two different types of people who live in New England. The first think that snow is magical, that it transports you to inside a wonder winter snow globe and go on and on about hot cocoa, warm mittens, and ice castles. The second resented the first type for their cheerfulness when it was cold as hell and wet as hell. Sweet Pea didn't need a mind reader to tell him he was the second type as he stood outside Betty's house waiting for someone to answer the door. He had already knocked and then he just rang the bell when Alice Cooper finally emerged.

It was the night of the Riverdale High winter formal and Sweet Pea was feeling uneasy. When he first proposed to Betty that they go, he had been excited to do something romantic with her, but now that it was here, it was starting to fade. On one hand, he wasn't looking forward to spending all night in the presence of his classmates. But even more, he also had something special that he had planned with for Betty and the anticipation was making him nervous. He patted his pant pocket to make sure his surprise was still there and it was.

"Sweet Pea! You're early; Betty is still getting ready. Do you want to come in and wait in the kitchen with me?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," he replied stepping inside. He unzipped his motorcycle boots and put them in the tray by the door while setting down his travel bag. He took off his leather jacket and hung it up on the coat hook by the door next to Betty's and headed into the kitchen.

He once again took in their home, noting that it was not quite as clean as his last visit. He could see that there was a cardigan that didn't belong strewn over the sofa in the sitting room and basket of laundry that was not hidden away. There was even an ever so slight layer of dust over the family photos that sat on the credenza in their entryway. Not that it bothered him in the slightest; but it was a perfect illustration of how things were going in the Cooper household. Betty joining the Serpent's had turned their family upside down and ushered in a new way of life for them. As Betty blossomed and began to grow into the woman she felt she wanted to be, Alice was also changing, becoming less obsessed with public appearance and more dedicated to her daughter's happiness.

When Sweet Pea entered the kitchen, he saw Alice was putting a lid on a skillet and taking it off of the stove. She cleaned her hands off onto a dish towel and then turned around.

"It smells really good in here, Mrs. Cooper," he said.

"Oh look at you in that suit jacket, you look so handsome! You can eat some of this if you don't make a mess," she said getting him out a plate. Sweet Pea sat down at their kitchen table as she put some chicken and some vegetables down for him.

"Thanks, ma'am," he said grabbing the fork that she handed to him. "And thanks for the food. You know, bachelor life."

"Yes, I am quite aware that if you aren't eating bar food you guys live on stuff you get at the gas station. FP has the same diet."

"And that," FP said almost on cue making his way into the kitchen as well, "Is why I let her feed me."

This was another thing that had changed with Betty joining the Serpents, a renewed friendship between FP and Betty's mom. Of course a biker gang was pretty much like a sewing circle in the way that rumors ran and there were a lot of mumblings about a possible relationship between the two past lovers now that their spouses were out of the picture. Sweet Pea wouldn't blame FP either now that he was starting to see how much better things could be with a dedicated lady by his side. The older man took a full plate from Alice and sat down next to him and she followed. FP grabbed a roll from a basket in the center of the table and took a bite.

"So are you going to this dance thing tonight?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good for you. I'd say we have some great memories of going to our formal, don't we Alice?"

"Oh yes, a night I can't forget. We blew off the dancing to hang out in the parking lot with your boy friends while you all got drunk."

"I guess I am remembering what happened after the dance," he said in a way that made Alice blush.

"Well, yes, I remember that part too," she said quietly.

When Betty finally came down from her room, it was like a reveal at a debutante ball. She descended the staircase and the first thing everyone saw was her ruby red modern gown. She had her hair braided up one side but spiraling down from the other. Sweet Pea jumped up out of his chair when he saw her and got a huge grin on his face. She could have been dressed in her sweats and a Riverdale High t-shirt with her hair in a knot on top of her head and he would have thought she was gorgeous, but seeing her dressed up this way almost made him breathless. Even FP nudged Alice when he saw the boy's reaction. Alice also got up and grabbed her camera off of the counter to take a couple of photos.

Betty went over to her boyfriend and gave his hand a little squeeze. "Ready to go?" she asked as she got close to him for her mom to pose them. Sweet Pea was absolutely ready to go; Doing something as normal as taking photos with Betty was making him feel like a fish out of water. He was starting to wonder if going to this dance was a mistake and hoped that he didn't make a fool of himself.

"Yeah," he answered as he tried to shove off his fears and smile for the camera.

From inside Betty's red silk clutch they could hear the soft vibration of her cell phone. She checked it and it was text from Veronica that she was pulling up to get them. They heard an engine outside so she grabbed her wool coat and put it on. She hugged her mom good bye and Alice gave Sweet Pea a hug also. If he had to be honest with himself, he was starting to enjoy getting these motherly hugs from her, but he would never admit it out loud.

When the two got outside Sweet Pea did a bit of a double take. "Did Lodge really come to pick us up in a limo?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Have you not met Veronica? Would you expect anything less?"

The door to the limo popped open and Veronica hung out the door. "Are you guys coming or what?"


	2. Part 2

Part 2

Betty waved at Veronica and picked up the hem of her dress so she wouldn't step on it as they walked over to get into the vehicle. Sweet Pea allowed her to get in first and he then closed the door behind him. Betty had slid in next to Veronica leaving either half a seat for him on that side or for him to sit next to Archie. If the girls weren't squealing a mile a minute, he could have maybe gotten them to move down so there was room for him, but alas, he moved in to sit on the other side.

He sat there for a moment in silence just taking in the situation. Here he was going to his first school dance. His date was the girl he thought could be the love of his life, so a plus. But he was going to have to spend the night rubbing elbows with a bunch of Northsiders, so a negative. He and Archie had hung around a few times but he still didn't have a lot to say to him but he attempted small talk.

"So, Archie. How are… sports?" He could just smack himself in the face. How are sports? What an idiot.

Archie looked over at him and answered, "Good. Just starting basketball season."

"Oh, yeah," he said sitting back against the seat. He pulled out his phone and saw he had a text from Toni. He had begged her to ride to this dance with them but she was going to be meeting her date there. He just hoped that she would hang out with him if Betty decided to ditch him for her other friends, because there was no way he could do this all night with Archie. Even Jughead would be a friendly face at this point; at least they had things in common to talk about. He read her message and it was a picture of her sitting on the front steps of their school, waiting on her date, Cheryl Blossom, as well as him to get there. Sweet Pea was not Cheryl's biggest fan but if Toni liked her, he just tried to be supportive of his best friend.

Sweet Pea took his flask out of his jacket pocket and he thanked God that he never left home without it. He took a drink and to his surprise Veronica held out her hand.

"You going to share the wealth?" she said with a smile and he felt himself handing it over.

"Be careful; that's a secret mix in there and it's been known to make people do wild things."

"I can handle it," she said taking a swig.

Veronica then passed it to Betty who knew better and took only a small sip. She then offered it to Archie who put up his hand to say 'no'. Veronica took it back for another gulp before she handed it back to Sweet Pea who took another sip himself.

"I hope you have enough to get us through this whole night," she said as she moved closer to Archie. She gave him a little peck on the lips and she snuggled into him. He put his arm around her and they sat silently for a only a moment before they pulled up in front of the school. She held his other hand in hers and something caught his eye, a corsage on her wrist. It dawned on him, obviously way too late, that he didn't buy flowers for Betty. He felt so inadequate in that moment but when he looked at her and she smiled, it melted away. He would still apologize to her for his oversight but he hoped that she wouldn't be too be mad once he gave her what he was carrying in his pocket.

When they got out, he took his hand in hers and led her over to where Toni was sitting and they sat down next to her.

"You look so good, Toni! I love the green," Betty said as she threw herself down on the step.

"Thanks, girl. I didn't think I would be nervous to see Cheryl, but I am."

"I'm sure it will be fine. As fine as it can be with Cheryl."

"Right."

Cheryl pulled up momentarily and the four of them went inside the school. When the got inside the gym, Sweet Pea could see why Betty had joked a month earlier about the potential of the dance being lame; the decorations were not the best and the speakers where pumping out some popular dance song that he did not recognize. All around were his classmates, dressed to impress, and he could only think that some of these girls were probably wearing a whole month of rent. Spending that kind of money on something they would definitely only be wearing once seemed so foolish, but could he really blame them? They didn't know any differently and if they did, they probably didn't care. Betty looked up and him and leaned her body into his, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Thanks for doing this," she said as she lead him over to the dance floor.

"I mean, how could I graduate and never have come to one of the Riverdale High dances?" he said she watched her start to dance slowly.

"I love you, you know? I want to experience everything with you."

Sweet Pea blinked for a moment before he said anything. He grabbed her hands and pulled her close and then swung her out as he moved his feet. He pulled her in close again and said "I love you, too." As they dance he could not help but think about their future. This was a topic that had been at the the forefront of his mind lately, their future. In a few months, they were going to be out of school and that brought uncertainty to what would come next. Betty had to make college decisions like, now. He knew that he wanted what was best for her, but that might mean that she was going away for four whole years.. and he had to be happy about it, really. He knew she was so smart and so driven, he wouldn't dare hold her back, but that also didn't mean he wouldn't miss the hell out of her. Sometimes he really wished he had focused on school all these years and he would have a shot of going off to college with her instead of being stuck in Riverdale. He just prayed that they would make it and he would do everything that he could to make sure it happened. He was going to get her alone tonight and he just had to get the formalities out of the way and then he would make sure she would want to stay together.

Betty smiled and watched his face as they danced. She could see that he was thinking and he was thinking about it hard. She had done her share of thinking these days too but it was hard for her to want to talk those thought through with him. There was so much emotion surrounding big decisions that were coming and she'd as soon as just run away with him than commit to anything for her future. It seemed easier than making plans.

"Are you OK?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?" he asked.

"You seem kind of far away or something."

"I guess being here just makes me think about things. I didn't think I would feel so out of place here."

"We don't have to stay if it is bothering you. I don't care what we do as long as I am with you."

"And that is so sweet, baby," he said kissing her on the head. "I was just thinking... I'm sorry that I didn't get you a corsage or whatever. I forgot that was a thing."

"Oh, it's fine," she said hitting his arm playfully. "I wasn't missing it."

Sweet Pea rubbed his thumb over his pocket, his gift was still there, but he still felt nervous about giving it to her. A slower song came on that he felt more comfortable dancing to so he asked her if she wanted to dance. She nodded and they got up but only moved a few feet to get to the edge of the dance floor.

Betty put her arms around him and held him tight as he looped his arms around her lower back. She was glad he wanted to slow dance with her because it was the dancing she was best at. If she had been there as a single girl, she would have just danced strangely with Veronica and other friends; but as a couple you need to either be a good dancer or not dance at all. She put her head on his chest and enjoyed being close enough to him to smell his scent. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed being in the moment. Stuff had been going down lately with the Serpents and even though she was technically still a member on probation, she had been serving as a look out on certain jobs that they ran as of late. She was just so tired between Serpent duties, her apprenticeship and school that she felt like the time that she was spending with Sweet Pea was so few and far between. But they definitely made up for with quality for what they lacked in quantity. She was falling so hard in love with him that it almost frightened her. What ever she had felt in previous relationships paled in comparison to what she felt for Sweet Pea. Look at this situation, she thought, she knew that a school dance was not his kind of thing; but he asked her to go thinking it was something that she would enjoy and that he could share with her. Who else was going to do something like that? They way he loved her was so special and she appreciated it with all she had. Yes, she loved him, more than she thought she could. But she was still constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop because it seemed as though life had a way of never going how she thought. It was hard for her be brave and trust and think about the future. Things were so good when she focused on the now, she didn't want to jinx it and ruin things. This was the boy who a few short months ago wanted to hide the fact that they were even dating. Soon enough they would be graduating and she really didn't want to think about it. She had been accepted to colleges all over the country and she knew that he hadn't even applied. He knew his place and it was in the Serpents, but Betty, she was not so sure what her future held anymore.


	3. Part 3

Part 3

As the song ended, they hesitated before separating as it felt so good to be in each others' arms. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Toni, Cheryl, Jughead and couple of other kids from the Serpents who had shown up standing together in the corner of the gym. She nodded towards them and Sweet Pea started leading her there by the hand. When they got to the other side of the gym, she heard the others laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked Toni.

"Oh, nothing really. But, we were thinking about going and hanging outside. You guys in?"

Betty looked at Sweet Pea and he nodded. He was fine with leaving. He came, he saw, he realized this was nothing really special. The group started migrating towards the door and she looked to see if she could spot Veronica on the dance floor, which she could, and it looked like she was having a great time dancing with Archie and Kevin so she figured she did not have to bother them to say she was going outside.

It had been so hot in the gym, it felt nice to be outside even with their jackets off. Betty had not realized how sweaty she had gotten in a few dances until they got outside and she now relished the cold air on her skin. A couple of the boys had driven to the dance so they had a truck flat bed to sit in. Sweet Pea helped Betty up into the back of Fang's truck so she could sit in his lap. Once they were up, Fangs asked if Sweet Pea had his flask to share, which of course he did, and it got passed around to everyone. He himself had a few drinks so he was starting to feel the buzz but he tried to keep his cool. He knew he had to be feeling it because as he laughed with his friends he was using what Betty always joked was his 'outside voice'.

"So this is what it's like to go to a real school," Fangs mused as he sat back against the cab of the truck.

"What do you mean?" Betty asked.

"For one thing, we never had dances at Southside. And if we did, I think Sherriff Keller would have been there in about 10 minutes for either a drug bust or someone getting stabbed. Ghoulies never let us have anything nice."

"Huh, I guess I never though about that."

"I'm not going to say I wasn't pissed when we were told we had to come here because, yeah, it sucks that we lost our school. But it's not bad that we finally have a place that we can get away from the turf wars and all of that stuff for a few hours each day."

"And have teachers that actually teach us stuff," Toni chimed in. "I feel like we read "The Red Badge of Courage" every year just because it was one of the few books that they had enough of for a whole class to have one. That book is like a third grade reading level."

"That's why Fangs had trouble reading it," Sweet Pea chided. In response, Fangs reached over and hit him in the back of the head while everyone laughed.

After a while of carrying on this way for a while, Betty started shivering and used rubbing her arms to try and keep warm.

"I probably should not have left my coat inside," she thought aloud.

Sweet Pea wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. His thick arms blocked the wind but also just being that close to his body made her feel warm all over. She leaned back into him and put her cheek against his neck while closing her eyes. She couldn't remember a time that she felt happier.

Sweet Pea reached down to feel his pocket again; still there. He thought to himself that maybe this was a good time to get Betty by herself so they could talk. Betty could feel his warm breath on her ear as he opened his mouth to ask her in a whisper, "Can we maybe go talk alone?"

The idea made her feel a bit apprehensive because he always seemed like he was ready for these super serious talks and there had been so much left unsaid between them lately, but the night was going so well, what could it hurt? She shook her head yes and he gave her a little wink.

"Are you guys leaving?" Toni asked when she saw them getting up.

"Just going to go for a walk and then maybe back inside," Sweet Pea answered.

"But we will see you later, right?"

"After party at my house, of course," Cheryl piped in from behind her.

"Yeah, we will probably make an appearance," Betty said looking at Sweet Pea for approval.

"Vixen attendance is required, Betty. We will see you there."

"OK, I guess we will see you there," she answered as Sweet Pea jumped down from the truck bed and then helped her down as well.

As they started to walk away, they could hear Fangs say to Toni, "God, your girl is bossy!" and she answered him back with "Shut it, Fangs. At least I've got one."

Sweet Pea took off his coat and put it around Betty's shoulders and grabbed her hand as they walked from the parking lot back to the front of the school and around the side. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

Betty looked around; there weren't really any places to go without students milling around outside but she did just have to happen to have her key to the newspaper office in her handbag. "Follow me. But we have to be quick!"

They went inside the front doors and passed the loud gym and snuck around the corner. Sweet Pea looked both ways to make sure no chaperons were watching. As Betty put the key in the lock he leaned down and kissed her neck and she let out a surprised 'yelp'. He hushed her so that no one would come out and look for them. She got the door open and they slipped inside and she re-locked the door behind her. They went in and sat on the edge of her big wooden desk.

"So are you having fun?" she asked him quietly.

"Well, I can say I have never done anything like this before. And might not again. But I've enjoyed being with you," he said giving her a short yet tender kiss.

"I'm glad we did this, too. I'm just so happy with everything right now; I feel like we are starting off this new year right."

"I'm happy you are happy," Sweet Pea said taking a drink from the flask he had pulled out of his coat on her shoulders. As he went for a second sip, Betty put his hand to his as to stop him.

"Are you sure you are OK? You've been hitting that kind of hard today."

"Yeah," he said putting it down. "I've just felt a little, nervous, tonight."

"Why would you be nervous?"

"Well, part of it I guess is I just don't have experience with this kind of stuff. I didn't want to mess up or anything."

"Sweet Pea, you don't have to worry-"

"There's more," he said cutting her off. "I've been thinking about this since Christmas and I just couldn't come up with the right time to talk about it. I just needed some courage to come out with it; it's not fair to you to hide what I am feeling."

Betty looked at him as her heart stated to race. This almost sounded like a break up spiel! But wasn't he just talking about how he was happy that she was happy and all that? If that's what was happening right now, she had not seen it coming for a mile. She just had to know.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

Sweet Pea sat back, stunned in a way. He blinked as he looked at her but then he cupped his her cheek in his hand and kissed her. "No! Not at all. It's kind of the opposite actually."

"I'm so confused."

This was it, the time to execute his plan. He loved her and wanted to make sure she knew it. Just how to start was always the problem. He was getting better at talking about his feeling with her but it was still new to him and he often fumbled. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "Have you decided what you are doing after you graduate?" he spat out.

Betty looked down at her hands that she had folded in front of her. She had not been expecting to have this specific conversation right now. Betty had been planning the same future, her mom's future, for her whole life but she had taken a few left turns from there lately. The plan was college. The plan was Ivy League. But where did the Serpents fit into that plan? Where did Sweet Pea fit?

"Um; I don't know. Still."

"I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. I just… I have been thinking about what will happen if you go away to school. What happens to us?"

"Nothing, I guess. Things stay the same… just I won't be here. Why are we talking about this now?"

"It's just been thinking about it a lot."

"I have been too… I just don't don't have an answer for you. Isn't us being happy in the present enough?"

He looked in her eyes to try and steady himself. He felt like this whole conversation was not going how he wanted it to at all. She was so defensive and he didn't want her to think he was attacking her. He wanted to have this romantic moment; he thought if he could just get this off his chest, that it would be enough to keep them together even if she went away, but he was just blowing it. He was going to have to abort his mission and try again later.

"Do you know what? Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to kill the mood."

"It's cool, maybe we can just get out of here, though? Try and salvage the night."

"Good idea."


	4. Part 4

A/N: Rating change is happening due to stuff that happens in the next couple of parts, here is a warning!

Part Four

The two of them left the Blue and Gold office quietly and went back into the gym. Betty saw that Veronica was over at the bleachers by herself so she thought she might take advantage of her free ear and talk to her about the conversation that she had just had with Sweet Pea. She asked him to excuse her for a minute and he said he was going to get some water.

When she sat down, Veronica could tell that something was wrong with her friend immediately. Her body almost read defeat and her face told a similar story. "OK, B, what's wrong?"

"I just had a super weird conversation with Sweet Pea. At first I thought he was dumping me and then he's talking about our future. I mean, what is up with him tonight?"

"I don't know. Maybe he thinks he's losing you? To your future."

"What do you mean? He knows that I love him."

"It's like Archie and me. We come from two different worlds and two different expectations. He is scholarship to State College and me... Daddy can get me into any school I want with a little endowment money. Archie knew whatever college I picked, we were still going to make it work because I am devoted to him."

"But it's different... _you_ are also going to State College."

"Of course! If I can go anywhere, why not stay here?"

Betty was silent as she thought about her friend's words.

"But," Veronica continued, "I am not saying that you need to make the same choice as me. You need to make the decision that is right for you."

"I'm scared to make the wrong decision or at this point, any decision."

"Maybe that's why he wanted to talk to you? Help you or reassure you or something? He probably sees you are stressed."

"It didn't feel like that. He almost seemed," she paused thinking of the right word, "unsettled. Or desperate."

"Look at it from his perspective. He is probably very aware that you are different and your relationship is pretty new. If that was me, I would want to make sure that no matter what decision you make, that you knew I supported you."

"Do you think that's what he was trying to tell me?"

"I don't know, but he's coming over here so maybe you can find out."

Sweet Pea was walking over to the two of them at pretty leisurely pace and was carrying a couple of bottles of water in his hands. When he got over to them, he handed one of the two bottles to Betty but neither one spoke leaving this awkwardness in the air. Veronica watched both of them for a moment before before decided she needed to start talking.

"So, are you guys going to Cheryl's after party?"

"She pretty much told me I have to go, so I guess."

"Come on, B. It will be fun! Tell her it's going to be fun, Sweet Pea."

"Yeah, let's do it. I've heard her parties can be kind of wild."

"Cheryl's parties are the best, even if she's kind of a bitch."

"Yeah, OK. Plus Toni will probably need some moral support after spending the whole evening with her," Betty replied. "Are you guys ready to leave?"

"I'm just waiting for Archie to come back from the bathroom. This dance is so lame. Hey, do you have anything left in that flask?"

"Uh, yeah," Sweet Pea answered.

He discretely handed it over to Veronica. She poured some in a cup that she had been drinking from and gave it back for him to store away. Meanwhile, Archie made it back to them and sat down next to his date.

"So I heard through the grapevine that this party at Cheryl's tonight is going to be huge. Do you think you really want to go?"

"Oh, Archie. Don't be silly! We need a little excitement after this dull dance."

"Then are you guys ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll call the car," Veronica replied.

It was an hour or so later when they arrived at Cheryl's and when they pulled up outside they could hear the music playing from the long driveway. Betty could see that the only person in the limo that was excited was Veronica but she was trying to play it off that she was too. She squeezed Sweet Pea's arm lightly so that he would look over at her and when he did, she flashed him a small, yet genuine smile.

Once inside, they all made quick work of finding Cheryl to thank her for the invitation so that she knew that her Vixens had shown their faces. She flipped her hair as she urged them to partake of the refreshments and head to the study as that's where her inner circle was going to hang out, instead of the living room and kitchen like everyone else. Betty wasn't sure how she really felt about being Cheryl's 'inner circle' and definitely wasn't sure what got her there, be it her Vixen status or her new Southside Serpent girlfriend; either way, her attendance was expected and she felt pressured to comply. If Veronica was aware of her apprehension, she didn't show it, instead she put her arm in Betty's and lead her on to their destination while their boys lagged behind.

"God," Archie said sliding off the tie he was wearing and shoving it into his pocket. "I hate parties like this."

It was a moment before Sweet Pea realized that he had been talking to him and that required a response.

"It's just another Saturday night for me; except pretty much everyone here is a pretentious asshole."

Archie made a face that read, "I don't know why I try" and shook his head lightly.

Sweet Pea clapped him on the back. "Hey, I don't mind you; much; anymore. It's mostly just... I feel so out of place here. With my crowd, I'm respected. But here, I am just a dirty nobody and people have gone out of their way to show it."

"Yeah, I wish I could apologize for Reggie and his behavior. I swear he is a good guy. Loyal; savage on the football field. Just not very welcoming of new people."

"You don't have to apologize for him. I've come to expect it; it's just how you are looked at when you are from the Southside. But I swear if he gets in my face tonight I am going to break his nose because I am NOT in the mood."

"I didn't want to mention it but you did seem kind of on edge. Do you, um, want to talk about it, bro?"

As thoughtful as that was, Sweet Pea just didn't trust Archie enough to talk to him about what was going on with Betty. The person he really wanted to talk to was Toni, but as they walked into the study, he could see she was inside and curled up on the couch with Cheryl having their own conversation. He crashed down on the couch next to where Betty was already sitting and she leaned in to him. He shook his head 'no' at Archie as the boy sat down on the floor in front of Veronica, who was on Betty's left. He kept trying to get Toni to lock eyes with him so that he could get her to go and talk with him somewhere but she was very interested in her date. Eventually she did notice him staring her down and in a lull in the conversation, she excused herself to get a drink. Sweet Pea said he needed one too and followed her into the kitchen.

"What's wrong? You're brooding worse than Jughead," Toni asked as she dug into a cooler on the floor by the fridge. She pulled out two beers and handed one to him.

"Ugh, I know," he said cracking it open. "Well, you know how I've been sweating Betty going away to school?"

"Yeah, and I don't know why! If you tell her not to go, she would 100% stay here. She's got a job, you, all of us."

"See; and that's the thing that is bothering me. I want her to make the decision that is best for her, not just because it is good for me. I can wait for her, it's going to be hard but I will be OK."

"Than why don't you just tell her and get it over with?"

"Because what if she doesn't WANT me to wait? What if she goes away she is going to meet some cultured guy who's a writer and likes singer song writers and stupid slam poetry and she falls in love with him and out of love with me? God, do I feel like a pussy!"

" So what are you going to do about it? Be scared and just run away? That does not sound like my nest friend at all. He never backs down from a fight, like ever."

"Well, I had this whole plan. So I tried to talk to her when we were at the dance and I put my foot in my mouth and I couldn't do it. That's why I planned this whole night and I fucked it all up."

"Get it together, dude!" Toni said pushing his shoulder. "Seriously, march in there, tell her you need to find a closet or something."

"But-"

"Just. Tell. Her. I'm a girl. I know. Now go!" she said, pushing him out of the kitchen and back to where their friends were hanging out.


	5. Part 5

Part 5

Sweet Pea breathed in and counted to five before letting it out. He was just trying to stay calm now that he was re-energized from Toni's pep talk. She was totally right and he had known that she was the right person to give him advice. But if was going to turn this night around, he was going to have to play it cool, especially after how things had gone down earlier in the night.

"...And then my mom was just standing there with the underwear in her hand and I had no words," Cheryl said as she was finishing up a story that made everyone in the room chortle with laughter. "Where have you been, dark and thorny?" she asked Sweet Pea as he came into the room. "You two have been gone forever."

"We were just looking for the best beer you had," he lied.

"It's all the best, Blossoms have excellent taste."

"Yeah, uh, we figured that out eventually. That's why we are back."

Cheryl raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, "Whatever."

"Hey, Betty, can I talk to you for a sec?" he said from where he was in the doorway.

Betty looked at Veronica with a knowing look but she her head affirmatively, got up and followed him out of the room.

Cheryl made is a point to call after them, "don't soil any of the linens or you die!" and everyone laughed at the crack in her composure.

The two searched out a place to go and looked in open doors for a couple of minutes until they came to the library. It was cold and sterile as most of Thistle House seemed to be even with it's rich colors and fine wood trim. As they went inside, Sweet Pea closed the door behind them. Betty sat down on the edge of a burgundy leather high backed chaise and looked up at him expectantly.

"I want to start out by saying," Betty said," I'm sorry I kind of flipped out earlier. I've been really stressed out."

"Hey, it's OK," Sweet Pea said sitting behind her. She crawled up to where he had sat and against the back of the chaise and he put his arm around her. "To be honest, I have been really stressed out, too. That's why I thought this would be good for us; I wanted to make it special for you."

"It has been," she said putting her hand on his cheek and kissing him.

"I have something for you," he said as he broke away.

Sweet Pea reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and metal. It was what he had been fiddling with through out the night, making sure that it was still there. He held it between his pointer finger and thumb of both hands and studied it as he let light hit it and shine in different directions.

"I don't have a ton of great memories about growing up. My parents were always gone when I was little; always working some crap job to pay the bills. Pretty much anything that a Serpent could find. But for what it's worth, I know that my dad really loved my mom. This," he said handing the object to her, "was one of my father's pins from his jacket. He gave it to my mom after she found out in High School that she was pregnant with me and she was wearing it on her jacket when they were killed."

Betty looked down at the item in her hands. The little pin was so delicate looking; it was a beautiful representation of a snake wrapped around a spear. She felt so privileged in that moment, that he was sharing something with her from his past. Most of the time he kept that part of this life very close to the chest and it meant a lot that he was telling her all of this.

"Betty Cooper, I love you. Like a lot. When I see the way you look at me, it's like how my mom looked at my dad and so I think you feel the same way."

This made Betty swallow hard. For a guy, he always seemed like he was too ready for these emotional conversations. She could see that he was looking at her like he was expecting an answer or at least some sort of acknowledgement so she knew she had to say something.

"You know that I love you."

"Well," he said nervously. "I wondered if I gave it to you, would you wear it? As like, a symbol of how we feel about each other? It's kind of Serpent tradition to give your girl a pin or patch to wear on their jacket."

Betty was giving him a quizzical look as she traced up and down the pin in her hand.

"Well, look, I know when we started all of this I was nervous to even tell people I was in a relationship; but now I want you to know I am not. I am all in for us."

"Of course I will wear it," she whispered because she felt out of breath. "This is what you wanted to talk about earlier isn't it?"

"Yeah. Just like you've been stressed about picking a school and everything I have been worried about what happens if you go away. I just keep thinking in a few months we are going to graduate and I don't want to lose you if we have to spend time apart."

"I don't want us to drift apart either. I've been freaking out about the whole thing. Maybe I will just stay here and keep my job at Anderson's."

"It is your choice, babe. I want you to know that whatever you want to do, I support you and I want you to make the right decision for you. I'd feel like real shit if I held you back from something."

"What did I do to deserve you?" Betty said and it made him chuckle.

"You are just yourself and it's awesome. Look, I want you to know I am going to everything in my power to make this work if you chose to go away."

"I will too," she said kissing him. "So do I wait to put this on my jacket or what?"

"Uh, normally yeah. Maybe put it in your bag until you get home?"

Betty slipped the pin inside her bag and clasped it back closed. She swung her leg over the side of the chaise as if to get up but Sweet Pea grabbed her hack on top of him.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked cheekily as he planted a kiss on her neck.

"Apparently nowhere," she said wrapped her arms around him as she pressed her forehead into his, pulling up his head to kiss her on the mouth.

Betty gathered up the skirt of her gown so that she could get on top of him but she didn't break their kiss. Sweet Pea groaned as as she saddled herself on him and put one hand on her back to keep her steady. He traced her collarbone gently with his lips and Betty blushed.

"Should we really be doing this here?" she said breathily, more of a statement and less of a question.

"Probably not," he said as he snaked his hand under the hem of her dress and up her thigh.

"Are you going to stop?" she asked as she felt his fingers suddenly inside her underwear.

Sweet Pea stroked her lightly with his thumb and he could feel her body did not want him to stop and told her so by pushing two fingers inside her. Betty gasped as she felt the intrusion to her body but she could not complain about how good it felt.

"Only if you tell me to," he purred as he moved his fingers and her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she moaned. "Was that a stop?" he teased and his fingers momentarily retreated. She only glared at him and he resumed pleasuring her.

She regained composure after the initial shock to her body and tried to go for his belt but he shook his head. "Don't worry about me," he said as bit into her neck lightly. Betty came undone quickly as it had been days since they had time to be alone together let alone mess around. She was breathing heavily as he withdrew his fingers and cleaned them on a handkerchief he had in his suit coat pocket. He kissed her forehead as they both sat back and curled up together on the chaise.

Betty sighed as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck. She really did love him; so much. How could she in good conscience leave him to go away to college? Not even just because he would miss her but she would miss him terribly as well. The plan. The more she thought about it, the more that she was thinking it was stupid. Not the idea because going to college isn't stupid, but the whole, 'Ivy league being the only option' thing was. She had already broken the mold by becoming a Serpent. Just like there had been another choice for her present maybe there was also one for her future.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

The next morning, Betty was woken up by a few stray sun beams peaking through her blinds at 7:30am. She rolled over and she was sad that she was alone in her bed. Not long after her heart to heart with Sweet Pea, they said goodnight to their friends and walked back to her house. There was an unwritten rule that even if she was OK to stay over in his room at the boarding house, Sweet Pea wasn't welcome to stay over at the Cooper's, so he had had to give her a good night kiss and see her today instead of doing what she wanted which was spend the night. There was an upside to him going home though and that was that it did give her the freedom to think about everything that was running through her mind and she had potentially made a decision.

She had mulled over her short yet insightful conversation with Veronica and something that had not occurred to her before finally did; maybe she could choose college and her boyfriend just like Veronica was. If she went to a more local school, maybe her mom would think it was a step down but she could still get her journalism degree plus she could have the advantage of being in Riverdale as much as possible. She would not only be able to still be able to see Sweet Pea on weekends but she could also keep up with her responsibilities to the Serpents. She'd be the busiest girl ever but she could handle it. She was already being worn thin between life as a high school student, cheerleader, and Serpent. Now that she figured out what she was going to do, she just had to get her mom to agree. This is going to be fun, she thought to herself sarcastically.

She got up, straightened her hair inside her pony tail and wrapped the end up into a messy bun. She grabbed a sweatshirt and threw it on over her tank top and headed downstairs to get something for breakfast. She poured herself some cereal and made a cup of tea and as she sat down at the dining room table she heard the padding of her mom's slippered feet coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Mom," she said turning her head. Her mom was not her normal put together self; her hair was a mess and she still had on her pajamas. "Are you OK?"

Alice used the rest of the kettle as she made a cup of tea for herself and sat down next to her daughter. She ruffled her hair and sighed, looking down.

"Your father was here last night. Uninvited, of course. Like his whole life, always being where he isn't wanted."

"Why?" Betty asked. They hadn't had a sighting of her dad at the house in months, what could have caused him to come home?

"Honestly? I think he wanted to pick a fight. And boy did he get one," she replied taking a sip of her tea. "We are getting a divorce, Elizabeth. And I am getting the locks changed. Today."

"What happened? Exactly?"

"Well, he let himself in and snuck in on FP and I watching some movie on TV. To be honest I was just playing on my phone; I don't even know what it was. He flipped out about how I was whoring myself around on the Southside while he was gone and he said terrible things. He thinks I've made some great decisions raising you, by the way. He got into a screaming match with and FP punched him in the face before your father left. I just won't take it anymore. The disrespect. He has looked down on me since we were your age and I always just thought to myself, it doesn't matter if he demeaned me as long as I got out of the Southside. Then it didn't matter as long as we had a big house or a nice car or the newspaper, but I just can't do it anymore. He can have have it all but I am taking back my dignity."

"So it is really over? Between you and dad?"

"I'm sorry, honey. Yeah, it is over," she said with a light two tears running down her cheek.

Betty got up and hugged her mom from behind. "Don't be sorry. You guys haven't been OK for a long time."

"Thanks, baby."

"I love you too, Mom. Always, even if we fight."

"Me too," she said wiping some lingering tears out of her eyes. "So how was the dance? Was it magical?"

"It was, fine? I'm glad we did it."

"Did Sweet Pea have fun at all?"

"Well, it was something he had never done before," she said and laughed. "But it was good for us."

"Oh? You guys are getting a little serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she said blushing lightly. "So... he gave me his dad's pin; for me to wear on my jacket."

Alice's face got serious for a moment and shook her bags out of her face. "He pinned you?"

"If that's what you call it, I guess."

"And you said 'yes'?"

"Yeah... why?"

"Do you know what that means? To a Serpent?"

Betty shook her head. Was it more than just a sweet gift? She was new to their traditions and her mom's question puzzled her.

"It's a promise, Elizabeth. It's forever."

"Forever?"

"It's what you do when you are too young to get engaged or just elope. You get pinned. Look, I like this kid but you have your future to think about. I think it is way too soon for you to think about getting promised to someone. What does he want you to do? Not go away to your first pick school, stay here and work at Anderson's forever and pop about a bunch of kids? I am NOT letting that happen!"

"Whoa, Mom, chill. I love him and he loves me. We have talked about this, he supports whatever I want to do for school."

"I'm sure. I am going to kick his ass. You are too young to settle down. I will not let you make the mistakes that I did!"

Betty was now standing back away from Alice who had leapt out of her seat. "Mom! Stop freaking out. I am going to college."

"Swear it, Elizabeth or you can not see him anymore."

"I swear it, Mom. But," she said taking a breath, "would it be so bad if I went to State College with Archie and Veronica instead of going to the east coast?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You have worked to hard to just settle for a state school."

"You went to a State school!" Betty shouted and her mom got quiet. Alice rubbed her face with her left hand while she squeezed her eyes closed.

"I did. It was the best I could do. I had to work. You, you could do anything. Why do you insist on being just like me?"

"Because my mom is a fighter and I have always looked up to her. Please, Mom, understand where I am coming from. I want to chose somewhere that allows me to get a degree and see my friends and you. If I go to State I can come home every weekend and see you. I can keep working and save money for when I get out of school. And yes, I can still see my boyfriend."

Alice thought for a moment. She was disappointed for sure; she had put up with so much abuse to give her kids the best life and Polly became a teen mom run-away and now Betty was not going to the school she had always planned. She just couldn't catch a break. But on the plus side, she was still passionate about getting an education; she decided that she should just be supportive as to not chase her away completely.

"OK. You can go to whatever college you want, as long as you go. I won't have you throwing away 12 years of hard work and extra-curriculars."

"Really? You are not going to fight me on this anymore?" Betty asked skeptically.

"I won't fight you," her mom replied.

Betty rushed over and hugged her mom for the second time that morning.

"I'm sorry I am so emotional," Alice said, "It is this business of leaving your father."

"I get it, Mom. And see, now I can be home to be your moral support."

"Let's not press your luck and change the subject. I think it is time for us to get out of pajamas, don't you think?"

"Yeah, probably," Betty said as she headed towards the upstairs to shower.

When Alice could hear the water running in the bathroom, she cleared her throat rather loudly. There then was a slight creak of her bedroom door and down the stairs came FP who had been waiting to sneak out since the two ladies had started talking.

"You are doing the right thing, Allie," he said kissing her cheek as he put down his shoes on the floor and sat down to put them on.

"Shut up," she said. "You need to hurry up before Betty gets done in the shower. After all of this I don't want to have to explain how you stayed over."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a smirk on his face. "I think she will find out soon enough, don't you?"

"Not if we are discreet. All we need is more scandal."

"File those papers first thing Monday, Allie."

"Oh, don't worry, I will. I'm going to give Sierra a call, if you would ever get the hell out!"

"I'm going, I'm going. I just love when you are cross with me," he said zipping up his jacket.

"GO!"

"Love it," he said as he grabbed his helmet and headed out the door.


	7. Part 7

Part 7

After Betty got out of the shower, she texted Sweet Pea to see if he was awake. While she waited on a response she picked out something to wear. This was a rare Sunday where neither of them were working and she was looking forward to just hanging out and relaxing; but first they had to talk, especially about this pinning thing. Her mom saying how serious she should be taking it had her thinking on it and she was confused. He had just said he wanted to show her he was committed; did he mean just what he said or something more?

She flipped through some shirts in her closet and pulled out a plain black hooded sweatshirt and threw it on over the tank top she had slept in, traded her for jeans and then slipped on a worn pair of sneakers. She sat down on the edge of her bed when her phone buzzed, grabbed it, and responded to Sweet Pea's text of 'good morning'.

"Can I come over?" she asked him and a moment later, he responded that she could.

Leaving the house, she said good bye to her mom through a shout and started walking to the Whyte Wyrm. She pulled her leather jacket closed tightly to keep herself warm as she trudged through the slushy streets. The town was quiet at this time on a Sunday morning. As she passed, she saw that even Pop's was empty. The only place that looked bustling at her walking by was the Methodist church on Elm Street as early morning church-goers started to arrive.

Betty kept tossing things around concerning Sweet Pea in her head as she walked. She was excited to tell him that she was going to pick a school close enough that they would get to see each other all the time. But she was also thinking about what she was going to say to him about wearing his dad's pin. What if he had meant it as her mom had said? Was she ready to be that serious? Her mom was right, they were so young. She loved him, that was for sure. They were an unlikely pair to most but they had a chemistry that those people took notice of. Could they last forever? It was just more pressure on her to decide that right now, and no matter how much she loved him, it was sort of unfair of him to ask that.

When she got to the parking lot of the bar and there was only one bike there; but at least it was Hog Eye's so she knew the door would be opened and she wouldn't have to mess with the old, sticky lock. When she opened it, he looked up at her from behind the bar where he was putting out some glassware from a dish tray. He grunted at her something of a hello as she shut the door behind her and he went back to his work. She walked towards the back and when she got to Sweet Pea's room, she used her key to get inside. She was glad he had given her one just a few weeks ago because in the dark room she could just make out his form in bed and she realized he must have fallen back asleep.

She considered her options for moment while locking the door behind her. She could either try to wake him up or she crawl in bed with him and she chose the latter. She took off her jacket and sweatshirt and then stripped off her jeans before she got under the covers. Sweet Pea rolled over and faced her only partially awake but enough to envelope her in his arms and bury his face into her neck. She let out a happy moan and put her hands around his.

"I love you so much, baby," he said in a whisper but it rang through the silence of the room. He kissed her cheek as he began to truly wake.

"So much, huh?" She teased.

"Is that not allowed, Cooper?"

"I'll allow it. I like you."

"Only like? Really? That's all I get?"

"MMmhh; I guess I kind of love you too."

"Oh good; I was worried," he said with a smirk. "So what do you want to do today? Stay in bed with your very sexy boyfriend?"

"As tempting as that is, maybe we could talk?"

"Why do I feel like I'm about to be in trouble? "

"Well... not in trouble. I've just thought about everything from last night. Maybe we could go get some breakfast?"

"Do you promise you aren't trying to butter me up for bad news?"

"I swear, I'm not. Now get dressed."

Pop's was still pretty slow when they arrived, which suited Betty just fine. They sat in a booth near the back of the diner and each ordered a coffee and some food. Betty's stomach was in a knot as she thought about what she wanted to say but she gathered up the courage to bring up her conversation with her mother from earlier that morning.

"So... I talked to my mom today."

"Oh, yeah? What about?" Sweet Pea asked as he took a sip from his mug.

"Well, to start, she and my dad are getting divorced. Like officially."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess he came over last night while we were at the dance and was a total idiot. I swear if I never see him again, it will be too soon."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. Not really. I've been expecting it, honestly. He's hardly made an effort to see us at all; he's even been working opposite my mom at The Register. And she's been spending so much time on the Southside, reconnecting with her old life and she's been happy."

"Yeah, that's true I guess. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

Betty looked down and answered, "not really. I also told her about how you gave me your pin and everything last night and she flipped her shit."

"What? Why was she mad?"

"She thinks it's too soon for us to get that serious, I guess. Let me ask you, what did it mean to you when you asked me to wear it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm new to being a Serpent... I'm kind of learning as I go. But she said giving your pin to someone was like the Serpent way of getting engaged. Is that true?"

Sweet Pea sat back in the booth and looked at Betty, trying to read her face. Was she scared? Did she agree with her mom that they were moving too fast? Of course he meant it as a commitment, but as a promise that no matter what she decided, that he was going to be with her through it; not marriage.

"I think something got lost in translation here. Look, Betty, I love you. Sometimes when I think about it, it still blows my mind that we are together and our relationship is more than I ever thought I would have with another person. People don't really 'get pinned' not like they did in your mom's day. I guess I should have explained that bit; now it's more like just a promise, like how people buy promise rings and stuff. But; I did it because I want you to know that I will fight for you, fight for us, no matter what decision you make. If I didn't convey that last night, that's my bad."

"No you did. She just kind of confused me; I think she thought you were trying to propose so that I wouldn't leave."

"I would never ask you to do that. No offense, I'm not ready for that."

"Me either. It was hard enough for me to pick a college."

"So you've picked a college?" he asked a little bit startled. "In a day?"

"Yes," she answered as their server brought over their food order.

The door to the diner jingled and in walked FP in his uniform and Jughead followed him in with his school bag. He raised his hand and made a small wave when he saw Sweet Pea but went over to his normal booth and got out his laptop do what he assumed was homework. Betty turned around to see who it was but when she saw it was just Jughead went back to grabbing her toast and took a bite.

"So? Are you going to tell me?"

"Well... I've decided to go away to school."

Sweet Pea closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He knew that this could potentially happen but to hear it from her now made it real to him. He had a new tightness in his chest but he wanted to play it cool. He should have been more prepared for this.

"To State, with Veronica and Archie."

"Wait, so like an hour away?"

"Yup. They have a great journalism program. And I can come home every weekend to be with my mom. And you."

"I, uh, that's... perfect. What made you come to that decision?"

"The more I thought about it, the more that I realized my mom will probably need my support while he goes through this divorce. And I have responsibilities here. I mean, I have a list of clients a mile long right now to work on their bikes at the garage. How could I leave the Serpents like that? And you, I couldn't..."

Sweet Pea stood up and leaned over the table to cut her off with a kiss. "Are you sure? Like really? You could go to any college."

"Absolutely. I don't know if we are going to be together forever either but, I am okay to plan my future hoping you are going to be in it."

She then reached into her pocket and pulled his pin out. She held it out in her palm and he looked her in the eyes before he took it in his own hands. He slid in to her side of the booth and he carefully pinned it to the lapel of her jacket and ran his thumb over it with a big smile. He kissed her cheek before settling his arm around her.

"For some reason," Sweet Pea said, "I feel like I should be celebrating. I can't believe you are staying. Or kind of staying."

"Yeah, I don't know why I didn't really think about it as an option before. I did apply, as a safety net, but I hadn't given it a second thought when I started getting letters from other schools."

"Well, I am very happy you thought about it."

"Me too," she said with a smile, "me too. Now let me eat so we can go do something with our day of freedom."

"I have a few ideas," he said wiggling his left eyebrow.

"You always have 'ideas'," she replied half scowling yet half laughing.

"Yeah, well. can't blame a snake for trying."


	8. Part 8

A/N: Writing is hard.

Part 8

Jughead watched across the diner as Sweet Pea slid into the booth on the same side as Betty. She looked so beautiful with her tousled hair and her leather jacket- it was hard for him not to pine after her but he kept his feelings under control. As their high school careers were coming to a close, he was so busy with both the course work and leading a gang sometimes he wondered what it would have been like to still be dating her and usually he decided it was truly best that they separated but tried to remain friends. Right now, things were good and he wasn't going to upset the balance. He had to be happy for them; things with Sweet Pea seemed to be going well for her, better than it had ever been between them. Surprisingly she was even more of a help in the Serpents than the hindrance that he had thought she would be. Plus, it had helped Sweet Pea come around to him and he really needed it.

The last couple of months had still been a struggle. Not everyone was as on board with FP stepping down and Jughead stepping up as he had hoped and as they were in a constant land battle with the Ghoulies, quite a few of their ranks had defected to the other gang. But many others were starting to trust him as they have seen him make better decisions and his loyalty to them. It was also helped by Sweet Pea's support because he had been so respected by the other young Serpents and some of the older folks, it had helped smooth over some of their original concerns about his rocky start.

He looked back down at his laptop as he tried to continue editing an article for the school newspaper but he just couldn't concentrate with them sitting there. He sighed as he sat back in his seat and used his hand to brush his bangs out of his eyes. After a moment he grabs his coffee mug and got up for a refill. Pop's didn't pay his dad well but it did afford him at least the luxury of free coffee. As he was pouring himself some coffee from a pot at the end of the counter, his friends came up to the register to pay their bill.

"Hey," he said putting the pot down and turning towards them.

"Hey," Betty replied as she shifted under the weight of Sweet Pea's arm on her shoulder. "How was your weekend?"

"Good. Peaceful for once. It was 'all quiet on the western front' with all of you yahoos at that dance last night."

"I'm sure. But we missed you."

"I had paperwork and stuff to do anyway. Heavy lays the head, right? And I'm stuck on this article you assigned to me, by the way. Garden Club fundraiser? Really?"

"It was a slow news week, Jug. What can I say? Not everything at Riverdale High is as fast paced as our life," she said with a shrug as FP came over to cash them out. "You're looking a bit tired, FP."

"Yeah, well," he said as the register drawer dinged as it opened, "I had a lot to deal with."

"My mom said it was kind of crazy at my house last night."

"Well, good old Hal just doesn't know when to stay away. No offense."

"I'm starting to feel the same way. Thanks for being there for my mom. I know she appreciated you being there. He just stresses her out."

As Betty collected her change from FP, Jughead motioned for Sweet Pea to come over to him. Sweet Pea took a couple of steps behind the counter and Jughead leaned over and talked quietly in his ear. When he was done, he shook his head and said "yeah, sure," and went back to Betty and snaked his arm around her waist. FP squinted his eyes as they narrowed in on Betty's jacket.

"Yeah, no problem," FP answered. "Hey, does your mom know about that?" he asked, pointing to her new addition to her lapel.

"Uh, yeah," she said sheepishly. "She wasn't too happy about that."

"I can imagine," he said as he raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side.

"What?" Jughead asked, placing his mug down on the counter.

Betty looked away like she was suddenly embarrassed. It was hard to tell him things about her relationship with Sweet Pea; she didn't want to hurt his feelings. As they repaired their friendship, she could see that it wasn't always easy for him to see them together so she tried to keep it to a minimum. Sweet Pea was not so shy and answered for her.

"Well this girl right here, has agreed to wear my pin. Pretty awesome, right?" he said squeezing her.

Jughead zeroed in on the pin on her leather jacket and blinked a few times rapid fire. It didn't really surprise him that they would get serious at some point but it was a shock that it was so soon; he definitely was not ready to hear it but he had little choice. He looked up at Betty's face and even though she still looked somewhat embarrassed, she was also beaming from ear to ear. She was happy about it. How could he be upset when she was happy?

"Yeah, that's, um, really great. Congratulations. I've got to get back to the Garden Club now so... I'll see you guys. You'll still stop by my office later, right Sweet Pea?"

"Yep, just like we talked about like 2 minutes ago."

"Right, OK," he said grabbing his mug and retreating back to his table.

"Well that was awkward," Betty said sighing.

"He will be fine. He's tough," FP tried to assure her. "So what is all this about anyway? You aren't planning to run off are you?"

"No!" both of them said in unison.

"You can tell me if you are, I promise not to tell Alice."

"Really, no, Mr. Jones," Betty answered. "It's just what the kids are doing these days."

"Well, I can try to help smooth things over with your mom. You just know Alice; you can't tell her anything."

"Oh I am aware," Betty giggled. "Will we be seeing you this evening at our house?"

"If she's cooking, I will be there."

"Cool, well see you later," she waved as she and Sweet Pea went to leave the diner.

He gave them a mock salute as he shut the drawer and went over to the booth where Jughead was sitting.

"So you are going to have to explain this pin thing to me."

His face was steel and his voice like ice as he tried to act like it didn't bother him at least a little. "Eh," Jughead said not looking away from the computer screen he had mindlessly been staring at. "It's the poor kid's promise ring. What did you expect to happen? Betty doesn't do anything half way."

"As long as that's all it is, I might be able to save her from Alice's wrath."

Jughead looked over at FP and stopped typing. "So what exactly is up with you and Betty's mom. I swear you have been spending more time at their house than at the trailer."

FP shook his head as he had to go ring out someone else for their breakfast, "I'll tell you when I know."


	9. Part 9

Part 9: Fin

"Mom, I'm home!" Betty shouted as she opened her front door and dropped her purse on the floor. Sweet Pea followed her inside and they shrugged off their winter gear. Betty noted that when she went to put up her jacket on the brown, wooden coat rack, that there was already one hanging there and she couldn't help letting out a small chuckle when she thought about how things this year was turning out. This time last year, could she ever have imagined her mom sitting down to dinner with three Southside Serpents?

"In here, Elizabeth," her mom called from the kitchen in a tone that was all too familiar to her. Her mom was still kind of pissed. What she didn't know was whether it was at her or her dad.

She took a deep breath before she turned to go the kitchen and she felt Sweet Pea slide his hand into hers. She flashed him a tiny smile and squeezed his hand before they walked to what Betty felt was going to be the firing squad.

When they came through the door way she saw her mom pouring pasta onto four plates. She picked up a saucepan and ladle and semi-violently splashed sauce on them leaving dots of sauce on the counter and a little on her face. FP ripped a paper towel off the roll and wet it went to clean her face, but as Alice saw that they were no longer alone, grabbed it out of his hand and did it herself and then wiped the counter. "Allie," he remarked concerned, but she didn't acknowledge him so he shook his head and sat down on a stool in front of the island where Alice was preparing plates.

Betty cocked her head and squinted as she analyzed the small exchange between them but said nothing. Her and Sweet Pea exchange a knowing look before approaching her mom.

Alice put on what Betty knew as her 'smile even though I want to gouge your eyes out' smile and looked at them standing there. "Grab a plate and have a seat," she said and they listened.

Everyone could feel the weight in the room as they ate in silence for a while; the only noise were forks scraping against plates and an occasional slurp. Finally, FP decided to try and cut the tension and start a conversation.

"So, are you kids staying in tonight?"

Betty looked at him and shook her head 'no'. Alice breathed out loudly through her nose and stabbed at a noodle on her plate.

"OK, mom? What is your problem? Are you still mad from this morning?"

Alice put her fork down next to her plate and looked at her daughter. "I am just stressed."

"Are you sure? It seems like you are irritated every time I do something."

"What do you want me to say, Elizabeth? On one hand I have my husband who was vindictive in marriage and now wants to be vindictive in divorce then on the other hand I have my teenage rebel daughter who I can't trust to not throw her future in the garbage."

"Firstly, I thought we resolved this earlier? I am going to college. I am not running off and getting married-"

"May I say something here?" Sweet Pea butted in and both women looked at him. "I've been thinking about this all day, actually. Last night we sat here and you were happy with us. And today everything is different. I am sorry you are upset that I gave Betty my pin but I am not sorry I did it. I love her, I do, and I want what is best for her. To be honest, I did it not because I wanted to make sure she stayed, even though I love that she is, but because in a way I preparing for her to go."

"Doubtful."

"Alice, listen to the kids," FP said trying to smooth things over.

Sweet Pea closed his eyes and breathed. He knew this was not the time to fly off the handle, even though he felt a rage inside him growing. He tried to find the right words to reassure Alice but he felt like anything he said would get twisted around. "Do you think I would really jeopardize the best thing in my life?"

"Sweet Pea," Betty said touching his arm.

"No, I am serious. Mrs. Cooper, I promise, we want the same thing: Betty to have the future she has been working so hard for."

Alice looked at her daughter and sighed. The look on her face said it all to her, she was totally taking out her anger at Hal on Betty. She was almost always honest, almost to a fault sometimes; if she said she was still focused on her future, she needed to let this go. She had other things to stress over.

"OK. I will try," she said looking between both of the teens at the table, "to trust you two."

"Good," Betty said putting her fork down. "I love you, mom. I don't want to hurt you but I have to make decisions myself. I'm almost out of school, you know?"

Alice shook her head and got up with her plate, taking it to the sink. She started feeding the rest of her food into the garbage disposal and Betty could see she was still upset, maybe not with her but with herself. She got up and went over to her to try and console her. She knew her mom was going through a lot and maybe she had not been as loving a she could have been about the situation. "It's going to be OK, Mom," she whispered as she rubbed her back and saw her mom was crying.

"No, it's not. I have to tell you everything Sierra said when I called her about the divorce. She called your dad's lawyer and he is just being unreasonable. Your dad wants the house, the paper, and custody of you until you graduate. He doesn't want to pay out my half of the newspaper or anything. We could lose everything."

"Um, isn't that paper in both of your names? And the house?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Then it will be OK. Is Mayor McCoy recommending a good lawyer?"

"Yes, but-"

"It will be OK. See, this is why I want to be able to come home on the weekends. I want to be here for you," she said looking at her watch over her mom's shoulder.

"I hate that I have to rely on you."

"You raised me to be strong. Let me be strong for you."

"Fine," Alice said wiping her face.

"Look, Mom, we have to go, Sweets Pea has to meet Jughead, but I will see you later, OK?"

"OK, baby. Don't stay out too late. You have school tomorrow."

"Got it. I love you."

She gave her mom a little hug and she glanced at Sweet Pea over her mom's shoulder. He was trying playing with his fork and staring off into space until he felt here eyes on him. He put down his fork and got up to get ready to go and they went to put her shoes on.

As they got dressed, Betty started thinking. She knew that their perfect relationship bubble was going to end sometime but the this weekend had not gone at all had she had expected. A night of romance had actually brought her stress about college to a head but she was able to make the right decision for her future. If she knew her mom, this wasn't totally over but she had Sweet Pea to be there to support her. In a few short months they would be graduating and even more changes were probably going to come along, but knowing that he was there would make things easier. She ran her fingers over the pin on her jacket and smiled. After Sweet Pea slid on his gloves, she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and they headed out the door.


End file.
